


A Glittering Charade

by orphan_account



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-01-14
Updated: 2006-01-14
Packaged: 2017-10-14 18:18:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/152097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's time for a little corporate espionage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Glittering Charade

Veronica just wants to sleep. She’s so tired that it’s a struggle to move her limbs. Her hand is as heavy as an anvil as she lifts it to her face, swipes mascara onto her eyelashes.

“Are you almost ready?” Clarence asks.

Veronica puts the mascara wand down, fluffs the cherry curls of her wig, and smiles. The violet circles under her eyes have almost disappeared, and the reflected light from her gold top illuminates her face.

“Let’s go,” she says, standing, smoothing her black miniskirt over her thighs. She glances at Clarence, looks away. He looks richer than Duncan in his tailored charcoal suit, and he certainly has better taste.

Clarence holds out his hand, and Veronica takes it. He tucks her arm under his, and they walk towards the door. The suite is swanky and impeccably clean. The bed is neatly made, corners tucked in straight, as if half an hour ago the blankets hadn’t been tossed on the floor, the sheets tangled. You don’t need a maid when you travel with Clarence.

There’s another couple on the elevator. The woman is reedy and chic in a green beaded dress, and her husband is almost twenty years older. The man stares at Veronica. His wife stares at Clarence. Veronica fingers her wedding ring, and tries not to think about Duncan.

The casino is a glittering charade, a masked ball, a whirling arcade. As they approach the VIP room, Clarence asks, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Veronica replies, resisting the urge to pull her body away from his. “I’m just tired.”

She hasn’t slept since they left Neptune three days ago.

“Well, perk up. It’s time for a little corporate espionage.”

Tonight they’ll seal the deal. Clarence will make threats, beat the bastard until he confesses his crimes against Kane Software. Veronica will watch, trying to keep up her end of the act, to play the horrified female. She’ll pretend that she doesn’t like the crack of bones, the look on Clarence’s face as the blood stains his suit. She’ll pretend that this is about the company, that she can’t wait for it to be over, to get back home to Duncan and sleep in her husband’s arms.

Veronica Kane is a professional liar, and most of the time she can even lie to herself.


End file.
